


Squeaks and Nibbles

by SubtextEquals



Category: Spartacus Series (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Fluff, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-12-10
Updated: 2014-12-10
Packaged: 2018-02-28 22:32:34
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,407
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2749562
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SubtextEquals/pseuds/SubtextEquals
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>While pet sitting his niece's guinea pig for the week, Nasir gets attached. What Agron gets is jealous.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Squeaks and Nibbles

Nasir’s brother was going on a week long vacation to the beach. He’d invited Nasir and Agron to go with him but their work schedules hadn’t aligned. That meant they were the first people Faizan went to in his search for a pet sitter. Or rather, a guinea pig sitter.

Nasir’s niece, Sarah, bade her pet a tearful farewell as her parents moved the large cage into Nasir and Agron’s home. The six year old petted little Squeaks, a largely orange short haired guinea pig with a white stripe going up her nose all the way back to her neck.

Agron looked over at it. He had never been dragged over to see the rodent before and he bent down to whisper to Nasir. “Should we put it on a diet?”

“No, they’re all fat.” Nasir paused. “I think.”

The guinea pig started purring at Sarah’s attention and Agron started.

“What the fuck. It’s a cat!”

Nasir elbowed Agron. “Child.”

Finally, Nasir’s brother and sister-in-law pulled their daughter away and she went over to Nasir immediately and gave him a hug.

“Take care of her!”

“I will. Don’t worry.” Nasir hugged her back. “Have a good trip.”

Sarah then moved over to Agron and gave him a hug as well. He lifted her up off the ground and spun her around before setting her down.

Nasir glared at him while his family left.

Agron met his gaze. “What? Just because you’re too short to do that doesn’t mean she can’t have fun.”

Nasir rolled his eyes.

 

Whenever Agron pictured bringing a pet into their home, he always assumed it would be a dog. Maybe a German Shepherd. He supposed he could adopt a cat. He thought Nasir hissing was cute so why not? Instead they had this tiny little creature, with her dark eyes and little nose that she kept raising whenever she suspected she was getting food. Squeaks lived up to her name. She was loud and very insistent on getting her fair share of apple slices.

And this was just day one.

Agron poked through their refrigerator before walking back to the living room. “Hey do you want to order pizza or--” He stopped when he saw Nasir.

Nasir was spread out on the couch, feet closest to Agron, with his head against the armrest. The guinea pig was almost just as sprawled out, with her stomach slightly exposed as one leg stretched out. Nasir stroked down her little yet somehow fat body.

He looked up. “Pizza’s good.”

“Making a friend?” Agron asked. He leaned against the doorjamb.

“Guinea pigs are very social animals. They need at least half an hour of time with people every day.”

“Yeah, did Faizan tell you that?”

“I looked it up.” He kept petting the guinea pig.

Agron smiled. “You’re really getting into this pet babysitting thing.”

“I’m not going to neglect my niece’s guinea pig. I can’t hand her back traumatized.”

Agron walked over to Nasir but his heavy footsteps must have startled the guinea pig and she went flat onto her stubby feet and darted up Nasir’s shoulder to bury herself in his long hair.

Nasir sighed and reached up to pet and reassure the little thing. “Too late. She’ll forever be afraid of 6’2” men with stubble and tiny butts.”

Agron grabbed Nasir’s leg. “Are you calling my butt tiny?” He ran his hand up Nasir’s thigh. “Maybe I should do something to yours as payback.” He started to pull him down but then Nasir gave him a nudge with his leg.

“Not while I’m holding the guinea pig.”

Agron stared at the butt of the guinea pig, which was definitely not tiny. He didn’t think he’d ever resent something that was only slightly bigger than his hand but he was starting to.

 

“Nasir.”

“What?”

“Why is the guinea pig on our bed?”

Agron glared at the offender, Squeaks, who was currently parked right by Agron’s pillow. As soon as he finished speaking, the guinea pig nudged his pillow with her nose before she started chewing on it.

Nasir, lying right beside her and reading something on his laptop, glanced over at the intruder and stroked her nose.

“She needs some more space. New surroundings are good.”

“She’s eating my pillow.”

“It’s just a nibble.”

Agron walked over to the bed. “She can nibble your pillow.”

He reached over to nudge the guinea pig away from the pillow but instead she moved under his hand so he inadvertently ended up petting her. He blinked, then smoothed his hand over her a few times. She was actually very soft.

“If you pet her right here, she purrs.” Nasir had his hand to the side of Squeaks and he stroked just beneath her, on her belly. After Nasir repeated the motion several more times, sure enough she began to let out a rumbling purr.

“That is cute.” Agron admitted after a moment. Then he tapped Squeaks’s nose. “But no eating my pillow.”

“Nibbling.” Nasir corrected.

“Whatever the fuck it is.”

 

It was a late night for Agron and once he reached his front door he closed it behind him and locked it. When he reached the living room he found Nasir on his hands and knees before the couch, peeking under it. And God _damn_ but Agron had a great view of his ass.

“Hey.” Agron grinned as he strutted over to Nasir, who didn’t so much as look over his shoulder at him.

“Hey,” was his faint response.

“Lose the remote?” Agron sat down behind Nasir, then held the man’s hips and pulled him back onto his lap. “You look great like that.” He reached up and tilted Nasir’s head back, leaned in to kiss him, and--

“I can’t right now. Squeaks is under the couch.”

Agron blinked but Nasir’s expression hadn’t changed and there was no joking smile. “Under the-- why the fuck is the guinea pig under the couch?”

“I let her out to run around and she ran under there before I could stop her. I didn’t realize how fucking fast she could be.” Nasir eased away from Agron and looked under the couch again. “Can you get me a carrot? That should lure her out.”

“Can I get my dick in your ass if I do that?” Agron asked sarcastically.

“Hm, yes,” Nasir said in a distant voice, clearly not paying attention to anything but the guinea pig.

Agron stormed off to get the fucking carrot.

 

That night, Agron was getting ready for bed. Nasir had already moved there and, apparently, he’d taken Squeaks again. Agron glared at the rodent before removing his shirt.

“Hey Nasir,” he waited until his lover looked up before he continued. “Want to put that away so I can give you my dick?” He grinned and let his pants drop.

Nasir grabbed the guinea pig but instead of taking her away, he set her on his lap. “I’m sorry. I’m not feeling good now.”

“Oh.” Agron kicked his pants away but his boxers were staying on then. For the rest of the night. “What’s wrong?”

Nasir frowned. “I don’t know. I have a headache and I feel-- off.”

Agron climbed into bed next to him and pressed his hand to Nasir’s forehead. “You are a little warm. Want me to get you a drink?”

“I don’t think alcohol will help--”

“I meant orange juice.”

Nasir smiled and finally batted away Agron’s hand. “I know you did. Yeah, maybe--” he covered his mouth as he yawned.

“Alright. I’ll take the guinea pig--”

“The guinea pig stays.”

Agron glanced at the creature that had taken Agron’s rightful place in Nasir’s lap (well, as long as Agron had his knees resting on the mattress when on said lap). “Nasir, seriously--”

But then Nasir’s hand went to pet the thing and it let out a purr that even made Agron a little more inclined to like it.

“Fine. I’ll be right back.” It took a minute to get the orange juice and then his phone rang. His brother was not easy to get off the phone so even more time passed and then he was on his way back.

“Sorry, Duro call--” Agron broke off when he saw that not only had Nasir not looked over his way, he hadn’t stirred and his eyes were closed in sleep.

The guinea pig was still on his lap. She was resting just beside Nasir’s hand with her nose just beneath it though she was no longer actively nudging him. Once she heard Agron she pulled back and lifted her head in the air, nose now pointed at him.

Agron sighed and drained the glass of orange juice. Then he walked over and grabbed Squeaks. Making sure he had her little butt cupped and the rest of her body supported, he held her up to his face.

“Can’t even keep Nasir up. What the fuck are you good for?”

Squeaks squirmed in his hands.

He lowered her. “Yeah, whatever. I’ll get you to your cage.” A few minutes later, he plopped the guinea pig in her cage, checked her water bottle and food and gave her some hay before making his way back to Nasir.

Nasir was flat on his back and he didn’t move as Agron slipped under the covers. It was only when he got his arm around him that Nasir turned his head. At first Agron couldn’t say if he was awake or if the way Nasir turned to curl up against him was instinct. But when Nasir let out a soft, brief moan of contentment and rested his head on Agron’s shoulder, he knew he had to be at least partly awake. Not that it lasted long.

Agron rubbed his cheek against Nasir’s head and wrapped his arm tighter around him. His fingers brushed against too hot skin.

 

Usually Nasir was the one to get up first once the alarm went off but Agron counted one, two, three, four times that it beeped at him before he finally reached over and slammed the button to stop it.

“Nasir?” Agron nudged him.

Nasir pushed closer into Agron. “Yeah.”

“Not that I want to go but--” Agron moved away as his hand went to Nasir’s chin, intending to tilt it back so he could kiss him. But when his fingers brushed against Nasir, he felt the heat radiating from him. He let go and sat up. “Fuck, you have a fever.”

“I’m not surprised,” Nasir responded weakly.

Agron grabbed his phone. “Here, call in sick. Then I’ll get you an appointment.”

“I’m fine.” Nasir pushed himself off the bed, sat up, and even sitting up he started to sway.

Agron quickly grabbed him to steady him before lowering him back down onto the bed. “Nasir. You’re staying here.”

“I just need five minutes.” He paused. “Fifteen minutes.”

Agron held out his phone.

Nasir groaned and took it. “Just for today.”

Agron rubbed his back before getting up to make Nasir his breakfast. As he stepped into the living room he heard the guinea pig squeaking at him with all the might and fury her little lungs could hold.

“Shut up. Nasir gets food first.”

The sound did not abate.

“Agron! Feed Squeaks!” Nasir yelled.

Agron glanced from the kitchen to Squeaks and back again. “Nasir--” he started.

“It’ll take one minute!”

Agron huffed and went over to his arch nemesis. He poured some of the pellet food in the bowl and it promptly overflowed and spilled over onto the cage floor.

“Fuck!” Agron really didn’t have the time to scoop up all that extra food. “Alright, you win this time.”

The guinea pig still squeaked insistently.

Oh, right. Hay.

He grabbed a handful of it and tossed it in the cage. Half of it ended up over Squeaks but she didn’t seem to mind, chewing on it right away and it rapidly began to disappear in her mouth.

“Spoiled brat.” Agron grumbled before going back to what was really important. Making sure Nasir was well cared for.

 

Nasir insisted that Agron go into work and that he was fine, really, and could drive himself to the doctor. Agron was having none of it but he did relent when he tried to carry Nasir to the car and he actually hissed at him to stop.

Agron couldn’t tell if Nasir was still sore about that on the drive there or if it was just whatever he’d come down with but he wasn’t speaking to him even when he went back to speak to the doctor.

Agron was in the waiting room for an hour, idly playing games on his phone, when Nasir slowly walked toward him.

“Hey,” Agron looked up and quickly put his phone away. “So what is it?”

“Flu,” Nasir’s voice was, as always today, faint.

“Shit.”

“Yeah, you’ll want to keep your distance.”

Of course, even as Nasir said that, Agron got his arm around him.

“I’ll get sick anyway. Let’s go.”

Nasir batted him away once they got home but Agron was right behind him all the way to their bed, which Nasir promptly collapsed onto.

“I’ll get you something to drink,” Agron said, quickly stepping out of the room.

“Nap.” Nasir insisted.

“Drink first.”

Nasir groaned. “You can be really annoying when you play nurse.”

“Yeah, and you’re just as bad.” Agron countered. “How about orange juice?”

This time Nasir’s groan was muffled by the pillow. “Yes.”

 

Nasir was going to drive Agron crazy. No, it wasn’t Nasir fault. It was the guinea pig’s. It had cast some magic spell on him and now the demon pig had him in her clutches. Although it was Nasir’s hands that were on Squeaks, petting her, rubbing her ears, giving her attention while he lay in bed and told Agron to keep his distance.

Agron knew logically that Nasir was trying to prevent him from getting sick but it sure as fuck didn’t feel like it. He couldn’t blame Nasir though.

“You’ve got fur all over your shirt,” Agron pointed out at some time midday while they were both lying in bed. At Nasir’s insistence, they were as far apart as possible.

“Yeah. It’s time to put her back in the cage.” Nasir sighed and started to sit up.

Agron moved over to Nasir, voicing a stubborn “stop it” when his lover tried to protest. He placed his hand on Nasir’s chest and didn’t push. It was more a suggestion to lie back down, which Nasir did.

“I’ll take her,” he said. “And give her some carrots or whatever she likes.”

Nasir smiled. “Thanks.” His voice was faint but sincere.

Agron cupped Squeaks in his hand and did his best to ignore her faint squeaking as he carried her to her cage. He stopped just when he reached the room and paused to look at her, this thing that had captured Nasir’s heart.

“I thought he would have gone for a cat or a dog. But he likes you.”

He set Squeaks away and turned to get her some food when she went up on her hind legs and place her front paws on the cage walls, her little eyes peering at him.

Agron froze in horror at the thought that entered his mind. The damn thing was--

Adorable.

“Oh shit,” he breathed. “I see why.”

 

Nasir held Squeaks almost constantly as far as Agron knew. He had to go back to work the next day and when he returned, he found that Nasir had moved to the couch with some water in his hand and the guinea pig on his lap. But he still refused to let Agron near-- at least until Agron came down with the same flu. Then he cut back on guinea pig time.

“I’m sorry.” He apologized yet again as he brought Agron some more water.

“Don’t worry about it. At least we can make out now. Or when I can breathe through my fucking nose.” He took the glass from Nasir and drank. “Thanks.”

Nasir settled down beside Agron. “My brother’s coming back tomorrow.”

“Really? I lost track of time,” Agron admitted before gulping down yet more water, hoping that it would ease the dizziness somehow and knowing that it wouldn’t.

“Yeah, so no more Squeaks.”

“No more cleaning the cage and washing the fur out of clothes and--”

Nasir’s eyes lowered to the mattress.

“Sorry,” Agron spoke immediately after. “She’s cute. She is.”

“I think I’ll miss her.”

Agron knew he would.

 

The next morning, while Nasir went to work, Agron grabbed his laptop and began to browse websites. It took him a while to find what he needed. Something good, reliable, the kinds of things it sounded like his might as well be brother-in-law had looked up, as well as Nasir in his own investigation. And then, for good measure, he let Squeaks stay in the bed with him. Some of her charm was lost when she peed on the blankets.

When the time came, Sarah was overjoyed to have her guinea pig back. She kept bouncing up and down and Nasir discreetly tried to calm her down by gently laying his hands on her shoulders. He indulged each question she asked, assuring her that Squeaks had been well taken care of, which was true, and had missed her, which Agron was not so sure of. If Squeaks knew what was good for her, she’d probably want to stay here. But judging by the light in Sarah’s eyes that was out of the question.

After some small talk and chatting about the vacation, Nasir’s family left. Nasir smiled right up until he waved goodbye and closed the door. Then his smile slipped from his face and he sighed.

“Hey,” Agron put his arm around Nasir. It still felt like lead and he’d had to keep his distance throughout the visit, but nothing was stopping him now from being affectionate with his boyfriend.

“She’s in good hands,” he continued.

Nasir let out another heavy breath. “I know.” He pulled Agron’s arm off of him only to take his hand. “Let’s get back to bed. I’ll get you something to eat.”

 

It was a week until they were both feeling back to normal. Nasir still seemed a little out of sorts. One time Agron had caught him walking over to where Squeaks’s cage had been, stopping once he saw the guinea pig wasn’t there, and then trudging back.

A month later when petfinder still popped up in their recent history on firefox and Nasir hadn’t said a word, Agron knew it was time to act.

Another month passed before Agron had an off day while Nasir didn’t. He’d been preparing for this moment for a while. He had to rush to get one last thing though. Running late, he was just turning his keys in the lock when Nasir opened the door.

Nasir looked cross with him. “Where have you been and why is there a cage in our living room?” But his somewhat harsh expression turned into confusion when he saw the box in Agron's hands

“Uh.” Well, the surprise was ruined now. “I got something for you.”

Nasir’s eyes were fixed on what was inside the box. One guinea pig, tricolored with black, orange, and white fur that stuck up in a mohawk more pronounced than Agron’s weak one and another with smooth, pure black fur lay curled up together on a pile of fleece.

“Their names Agatha and Christie,” Agron went on. “Which, obviously, we have to change. I was thinking--”

“Agron.” Nasir’s gaze hadn’t moved until the last moment when they landed on Agron’s eyes.

“Yeah?” He made sure not to let the apprehension show in his voice-- but Nasir probably knew him too well anyway.

“Can you set the guinea pigs down so I can kiss you?”

Agron grinned. “Yeah.”

One kiss later and they were cuddling together with the guinea pigs formerly known as Agatha and Christie sitting on their laps and chewing two carrots.

“Thank you.” Nasir nuzzled Agron’s neck.

“I just want you to be happy.” Agron stroked one of the guinea pig’s backs. “And they are kind of cute.”

Nasir grinned. “I’ll remind you you said that later.”

“I don’t mind.” At least not until the Formerly Christie tried to climb up his shirt.

So this would take some getting used to. Agron could live with that.


End file.
